Check this page every Friday for special offerings, sales, announcements, and news. Order promptly as we specialize in handcrafted products, made in small quantities, and they sell out quickly. Most of the items on this page first appear on Tuesday in Say Vino, our free email newsletter. Subscribe to Say Vino to get first crack at them, and to be sure you are not disappointed.

Scale back -- we have the wines to help you save real money

We've finally gone green with our wine sales, and want to make sure you get all the savings! No more four-color brochures for us, the values are all here on-line.

It's easy, and it's always updated. Check the sale page, starting with the best buys at our website.

Then go on to the full list of sale items, wines and deli items. If you're in the store we've got new shelf tags up to help you make your smart buys. There are new wines and old favorites. Some of my picks for this sale are as simple as ABCD:

Andrew Rich's Tabula Rasa - new, a Rhône style blend from Washington state, fruity with wonderful smoky/spicy notes.

ANDREW RICH TABULA RASA 2005, Columbia Valley WA $16.97 (regular $19.95)

Bridgeway Syrah - new, a lush and spicy Central Coast Syrah, fullof pepper and smoke.
BRIDGEWAY SYRAH 2003, Central Coast $18.97 (regular $22.95)

Can Blau - a new vintage of this rich Spanish blend using Rhone style grapes, always a great match for grilled or roasted meats.
CAN BLAU 2007, Monsant, Spain $15.97 (regular $18.95)

DeBortoli Petit Verdot - our best bet for burgers, juicy with a nice balance of acidity and fruit, new vintage. (barbara)
DE BORTOLI PETIT VERDOT 2006, Australia $10.97 (regular $13.95)

Family reunion -- the sisters are back!

It's that time of year! Fall is when we get our hands on the new vintage of one of our favorite Pinot Noirs, Stephen Vincent's Four Sisters.

This is always a great example of classic Sonoma Pinot excellence. The grapes come from the Four Sisters vineyard located a few miles west of Sonoma Valley, and the freerun juice passes from stainless steel to French oak for six months of aging.

This creates a complex wine with wonderful upfront blackberry flavors and delicate hints of spicy cloves followed by a delicious, rich, long finish. Like most really good Pinots, it will pair beautifully with almost any meal, especially a good garlic-laced rotisserie chicken. This is one to try again and again, until it - again - runs out.(anje)

STEPHEN VINCENT FOUR SISTERS PINOT NOIR 2006, Sonoma Coast $19.97 (regular $29.95)

NEW LOW SALE PRICE!!!

The message is in the bottle

And this new winery concept is helping to put it in there.

Since 2005 Pannotia Vineyards has set their sites on discovering the world's underappreciated grapes and creating new, elegant expressions of each one.

Pannotia [pa-noh-TEE-uh] means "all the world is a single continent," and their goal is to pull unique grapes from each continent, produce wonderful quality high-value wines, and then to unite them under a single label.

Certainly one of the world's least known white grapes is Torrontes. Most likely the result of a hybrid created from Muscat of Alexandria and Criolla Chica (or what is called Mission in California), Torrontes produces incredibly aromatic, yet light, dry white wines.

The Andes foothills are home to all of Argentina's great wines. The finest quality Torrontes comes from Cafayate. The Torrontes grown there is richer than that found in the flatter areas. Fruity, floral and yet still dry, this wine has to be tasted to be believed.

Pannotia's riper style of Torrontes offers light notes of orange zest, green apple, lemon, and peach. With this wine, Pannotia has created a wine that juggles lightness and intensity. At this price, it can't be beat.(anje)

PANNOTIA VINEYARDS TORRONTES 2006, Cafayate Argentina, $6.97 (regular $14.95)

Even more Mor

We couldn't pass up this opportunity to intro their Pinot
Gris too. Blended with grapes from three vineyards for
balance, the wine has a crisp acidity, with lively ripe pear, apple and honey notes that are rounded out by a hint of citrus. If there is a better white out there for Pacific Rim food we haven't found it. This proves that not all great Pinot Gris comes from Alsace!(don)

TORII MOR PINOT GRIS 2007, Willamette Valley, Oregon $18.97 (regular $21.95)

Crazy how good this is

The first question asked about this terriffic Aussie red: "Is this stuff any good?" Absolutely. It's great! And it's proof that if you trust your family-run wine merchant you'll find the season's best values right here. We do the hard work for you. We're the pros. After the party, if you have any left over you know you can bring it back. But you won't with this one. One case won't be enough.

Guaranteed. We've carried this entry-level Shiraz from Penfolds for years and have watched the price creep up year after year. But when we were given the chance to buy a truckload at a ridiculously low price we jumped at it. Soft, full-fruited, spicy. Order this by the case. Click the easy link below. (sterling)

PENFOLDS KOONUNGA HILL SHIRAZ 2005, South Eastern Australia $4.97 (regular $10.95)

Number one vote-getter for all parties

Helios is the Greek sun god. As you know, it takes a lot of love, care and sun to make great wines.

Santa Barbara is located in California's Central Coast, just
hours north of LA. The Helios Chardonnay comes from here. The
long cool growing season and proximity to the Pacific offer perfect conditions to ripen the fruit for this light and fresh white. Crisp flavors of pear, honeysuckle and apple and just a hint of oak, give this a terrific balance of fruit and acidity, with a very clean finish.

Helios Chardonnay 2006, Santa Barbara $14.97/750 ml (regular $19.95), $179.64/case

The 2005 Cabernet hails from Paso Robles, on the northern edge of San Luis Obispo County. Another cool growing area, the vineyards for this wine have chalky limestone soil, producing a soft and silky Cab with warm black cherry and cassis fruit flavors. There's also a touch of spice and tobacco, making it a great easy-drinking dinner wine.

Helios Cabernet 2005, Paso Robles $14.97/750 ml (regular $19.95), $179.64/case

The 2005 Merlot comes from Alexander Valley, in northern Sonoma County. Warmer than the other two areas Helios sources from, this area does well with just about all red grapes, especially Merlot, Cabernet and Zinfandel. This wine is round and lovely, full of cherry, plum and cassis. It is full-bodied and will pair well with many meals. (anje)

Helios Merlot 2005, Alexander Valley $14.97/750 ml (regular $19.95), $179.64/case

Our newest fixture

While it's warm enough, we'll have this out front every day, ready for your bike. We know about exercise and we sure know about the price of gas, so come on over any day. Now there's a place to lock your $500 Trek.